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Celtic pulled four points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the SPL with a comfortable 3-0 win over Kilmarnock at Parkhead.

In a one-sided first half, goals from Aiden McGeady and Georgios Samaras gave the home side a deserved lead which could have been more convincing if not for some slack play in the final third.

Although Killie skipper Kevin Kyle missed three good chances with his head, Hoops substitute Niall McGinn, on for Paddy McCourt in the second half, put a proper perspective on the game when he grabbed the third in 78 minutes.

In a whirlwind start by the home side, stand-in keeper Cameron Bell saved from Hoops striker Scott McDonald at his near post, just moments after Killie had survived a penalty scare when the ball appeared to glance off Frazer Wright's hand.

However, in the 13th minute the Killie defender had less luck when McGeady took him on inside the box, beat him with a trick, then fired his angled shot from 14 yards past Bell and into the net off the far post.

After McCourt and McDonald both went close the hosts went two ahead in the 32nd minute following yet another fine move which cut open Kilmarnock.

McGeady released the unmarked Andreas Hinkel down the right and his cross was bulleted past Bell by the head of Samaras.

Two minutes from the break, in their first real foray, Kyle missed a sitter when he headed Gavin Skelton's cross past the post from five yards.

The visitors showed a willingness at the start of the second half and in the 50th minute Kyle came closer with his header from Craig Bryson's cross, this time the ball just clearing the bar and moments later he headed over again, this time from a Jamie Hamill cross.

McGinn sealed the points in the 78th minute when he ran on to a Hinkel pass and rifled the ball past Bell from 16 yards.

Hibernian maintained the pressure on the Old Firm after two late goals secured a 2-0 victory over nine-man Aberdeen.

Given half-an-hour to secure the victory after second-half red cards for Dons duo Maurice Ross and Chris Maguire, John Hughes' men looked unable to end the stalemate at Easter Road.

But substitute Colin Nish popped up to net in the 88th minute before Liam Miller doubled the tally in injury-time to send Hibs above Rangers and into second spot, ahead of the Ibrox side playing on Sunday.

Ross Forbes scored another spectacular goal to move Motherwell up to fourth iwith a 1-0 win over Hearts.

The midfielder lashed home a 55th-minute volley to claim his ninth goal of the season as Well deservedly beat a Hearts side which lost Eggert Jonsson for a professional foul.

The red card sparked Hearts into life but Shaun Hutchinson made two last-ditch challenges to secure the victory.

Two goals in the space of three second-half minutes sealed a 3-1 win for St Johnstone and left Falkirk still seeking a win this season.

Bairns substitute Carl Finnigan cancelled out Collin Samuel's second-minute opener only three minutes after the break but the three points stayed at McDiarmid Park for the first time since Saints were promoted in the summer.

Home replacement Chris Millar regained his team the lead in the 64th minute and only two minutes later Murray Davidson made sure of the win following a mistake from Falkirk keeper Robert Olejnik.

Hamilton claimed their second win of the season 2-0 against 10-man St Mirren to edge further away from the danger zone.

Goals from Marco Paixao and Martin Canning at St Mirren Park allowed them to put four points between themselves and bottom side Falkirk.

Saints had been scoring goals for fun recently but could not find the back of the net on a day when their misery was compounded by the dismissal of Lee Mair in the second half.

PA Sport